Jail for Harrogate man who supplied drugs on electric scooter

A Harrogate man who was caught with Class A drugs while riding an electric scooter was jailed for two years and three months today.

James Latham was caught by officers from North Yorkshire Police’s drugs team Operation Expedite on King’s Road on the afternoon of September 25 this year.

A police media release today said officers saw two known drug users being approached by Latham. The three people walked behind a shop and out of view. Within seconds one of them returned and was seen placing an item in their mouth.

Officers suspected a drug deal had just taken place, with Latham supplying the drugs.

Latham, who was riding on an electric scooter, was stopped a short distance away. He was searched and found to be in possession of a large amount of cash and suspected illegal drugs.

Heroin and cocaine

Following his arrest, officers found drugs paraphernalia at Latham’s Harrogate home, along with heroin and cocaine with a street value of over £700, and a significant amount of cash.

Latham, 44, was remanded in custody and brought to court where he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

Through mobile phone analysis, investigators were able to show Latham was involved in the supply of class A drugs, and had a customer base within the Harrogate area.

At York Crown Court today, Latham was given a custodial sentence of two years and three months.

After the sentencing hearing, PC Christopher Thompson, of Operation Expedite, said:

“The sale of illegal drugs will not be tolerated on the streets of Harrogate. It causes untold misery and suffering, and forces people who are addicted to them to commit other serious crimes to feed their habit.

“Latham was willing to exploit other people’s addictions for his own cruel and selfish gain.”

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Man jailed for dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate

A man caught dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate has been jailed for 22 months.

Christopher David Corrigan, also known as Purser, 38, of Lingfield Drive, Moortown, Leeds, was sentenced at York Crown Court on Thursday.

Corrigan was intercepted by police on Yew Tree Lane where his then girlfriend was found to have 72 wraps of cocaine in her bra.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and ecstasy at a previous hearing.

His girlfriend at the time, Jordan Wood, 27, from Northallerton, stood trial for the same offences and was found not guilty.

Stopped on Yew Tree Lane

Officers from Harrogate’s specialist drugs unit Operation Expedite stopped a grey Peugeot 208 on Yew Tree Lane on April 30, 2021.

According to police, they had “concerns that the driver was involved in the supply of cocaine in the area”.

They detained Corrigan and Ms Wood, who was the front seat passenger.

A search of the couple and the vehicle found 72 wraps of drugs in Ms Wood’s bra.

Both were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

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During police interview, Ms Wood answered “no comment” to all questions and Corrigan said he was £8,000 in debt.

Tests showed 60 cocaine wraps were 89% pure and 10 wraps were 29% pure.

Two further bags were found to be 95% pure ecstasy, which is also a Class A drug.

The total amount of cocaine was just over 30 grams and the total amount of ecstasy was 1.23 grams.

The total street value of all the drugs seized was £3,480.

‘He can reflect on his behaviour in prison’

Police discovered Corrigan’s mobile phone contained numerous messages in which a ‘line holder’ arranged drug deals and Corrigan was sent to conduct the deals.

Corrigan pleaded guilty to the offence in April this year and was remanded in custody awaiting the outcome of Ms Wood’s trial.

PC Michael Haydock, of Operation Expedite, said:

“Corrigan was the main protagonist which was clear to see from the evidence presented by the officer in the case. Corrigan was left with no option but to admit his guilt.

“He can now reflect on his criminal behaviour whilst serving his custodial sentence. Anyone else who tries their hand at drug dealing can expect to end up where he is too.

“There is no place for drug dealers. They inflict misery and suffering on people, their families and communities, all for their own greed.”

 

Men jailed for £143,000 burglaries at new housing sites in Harrogate district

Two men have been jailed for their part in stealing newly-installed boilers and other equipment worth £143,000 from housing developments in the Harrogate district.

Shaun Andrew Finley, 34, of Goldthorpe, Barnsley, and Stephen William Case, 43, of Dunscroft, Doncaster, targeted boilers, furniture and other equipment belonging to building companies and contractors.

They struck at homes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, Kirk Hammerton and Dishforth.

Finley was jailed for five years and Case for four years and two months when they were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard that between June 1 and December 15 in 2020 they targeted prestigious new build developments 22 times.

According to a North Yorkshire Police press release today, officers identified a pattern in the burglaries which involved the same method of breaking into the properties and removing the items.

The press release added:

“They specifically targeted houses that were ready for occupation. This caused considerable disruption and upset to the homebuyers and added cost and inconvenience to the developers.

“Through detailed analysis of CCTV and automatic number plater recognition data, the investigation team were able to place the vans and cars they were using – often driving in convoy – in and around the new build locations that they burgled.

“They also uncovered that Finley and Case were actively avoiding detection by registering, and insuring, their vehicles in the names of innocent members of the public. They also used cloned registration plates. This resulted in the arrest of two men who had nothing to do with the crimes, as well as numerous speeding tickets.”

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At the sentencing, Judge Sean Morris commended the work of detective sergeant Steve Peachman, the now retired detective sergeant Marcus Dawson, and analyst Libby Edison for the effective investigation which secured the convictions.

The Judge said they were “a credit to North Yorkshire Police and the people of North Yorkshire”.

DS Steve Peachman, from the force’s operation expedite unit, said:

“The outcome of our investigation shows that if you choose to embark on conspiracies with organised crime groups, you can expect lengthy custodial sentences.

“We proved that Finley and Case were principal participants in committing crime in North Yorkshire.

“They used a high degree of sophistication, but it was not enough to escape justice.”

 

Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison

A Harrogate man has been sentenced to four years in prison after police officers stopped him during a drug deal on Knaresborough Road.

Ben Michael Hargreaves, of Dragon Avenue, was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.

The 42-year-old’s sentencing comes after an 18-month investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s Harrogate Operation Expedite Team.

On September 9, 2020, officers spotted a man leaving a vehicle on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate and suspected he had purchased drugs from the driver.

The man was found to be in possession of cocaine. Officers then stopped the vehicle and detained the driver, Hargreaves.

Officers found a quantity of cocaine in the car and following a roadside drug wipe, Hargreaves tested positive for cannabis. He was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and supplying drugs.

At his home address police found more cocaine and digital microscales. His phone was also examined which revealed a large amount of drugs related content and showed him organising the importation of drugs from the United States, as well as discussions about evading customs and border control.

The drugs seized from Hargreaves were valued at around £1,500 if sold at street level. As well as the four-year sentence he was disqualified from driving for five years.

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Detective Sergeant Peachman, from the North Yorkshire Police Harrogate Operation Expedite Team, said:

“Hargreaves has received a significant custodial sentence at York Crown Court and this sentence reflects the severity of his offending and the extent of it.

“He was found to be supplying a Class A drug on the streets of Harrogate and the impact of this offence should not be underestimated. The knock-on effects of increased criminality to fund drug addictions creates misery for those trapped in the cycle of addiction and those people who live in their communities. Hargreaves was financially profiting from that misery and exploiting the addictions of his customers for his own greed.”

Two arrested after late night Harrogate drugs swoop

Two people have been arrested after police pulled over a car last night and found suspected class A drugs.

Officers from Operation Expedite, the county lines drugs team at North Yorkshire Police, stopped the vehicle.

Harrogate traffic police officer Sgt Paul Cording, who along with Harrogate traffic constable David Minto assisted the other officers, tweeted shortly after 5am:

“A search of the occupants revealed a number of clear bags containing believed class A drugs. Driver and passenger arrested and enquiries ongoing.”

This vehicle stopped by myself & @TC174_NYP along with our colleagues from #OpExpedite in #Harrogate A search of the occupants reveals a number of clear bags containing believed Class A drugs. Driver & passenger arrested & enquiries ongoing #NotInOurCounty #RoadsPolicing pic.twitter.com/BWx1zv9Al3

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) November 12, 2021

 

Police arrest suspected cocaine dealers after chase in Harrogate

Police have arrested two suspected cocaine dealers after a chase in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said officers on patrol followed a car on Leeds Road travelling towards Harrogate last night.

When the vehicle stopped the passenger ran off, discarding a large amount of suspected cocaine and a mobile phone.

Following a short chase on foot he was found to be in possession of £700.

The pair from Leeds, aged 28 and 44 were both arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

The driver was also arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a roadside drugs test showed a positive result.

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Both men have since been released while under investigation to allow for further enquiries.

Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson, of Harrogate police’s Operation Expedite team, which deals with county lines drug dealers, said:

“We are sending a clear message to the drug peddling fraternity that despite lockdown, it’s business as usual when it comes to disrupting drug dealing and the misery it causes.

“We urge members of the public to keep on reporting suspicious activity to us, we are still here and still need you to report information to us.

“If you prefer not to talk to us, remember you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously.”

The police urged people to report signs of drug dealing, including ‘cuckooing’ – where drug dealers take over a vulnerable person’s house.

The signs to look out for include an increase callers at a property, an increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time, different accents at a property and windows covered or curtains closed for long periods.

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you wish to remain anonymous, you call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.